Final Fantasy
by ShadedHeart Lamora
Summary: Sequel to Legends Still Alive. Nanaki has but one wish, a dream of folly which will never come true. But sitting there in Aerith's church with Vincent, his fantasy seems slightly more realistic.


_**Hi guys! I know I haven't uploaded anything for sooo long, but I never expected high school to be this tough…ugh, my days are like two-three hours longer than ninth grade, it takes me an hour to get home Anyway, here's a short one-shot which is a sequel to Legends Still Alive, my most popular story .This is dedicated to a very very dear and special friend of mine, who was a little down when I last spoke to him. I really want to cheer him up, and hope that I might do so with this fic, I know he likes Nanaki This guy deserves all the best life has to offer; he's the nicest kindest and funniest person I have ever met and it's not fair that he has to put up with all that shit he's gone through, but he's still the same nice and kind and cheery person. He's a savior; a paladin in shining **__**armour**__** with the power to defend and heal broke people like me, he's one of the most important persons in my life and I hope I will never lose him, and that his happiness comes back to him very soon. You know who you are man, fight on, I know you can do it 3**_

He had but one wish, one dream, a desire of folly which he knew could never be realised. He was afraid of being the only one left, how could anyone expect him to bear it? The loneliness, the sorrow, the pain. Not even adults who had lived for several hundreds of years could manage such a loss. He knew Vincent would be the last one, he knew the man carried a burden greater than his own, but then again, Vincent was stronger than he'd ever be. The once-a-year-meetings weren't enough for Nanaki, but unless Vincent wanted to, he would not ask for more frequent get-togethers. He had his children to take care of, too. They craved his entire attention twenty hours a day; it was tiring but also brought much joy to him. However, not even the love to his mate and his cubs was enough to replace the love for his friends.

Sitting there, by the pool in Aerith's church, he felt somewhat at ease, watching their faces in the crystal water. Feeling the warmth of his friend next to him, the water touching his right front paw which was hanging over the edge of the broken floor, he felt like he was there, with them, all of them, and that would never ever change. But at the same time, he knew this was not to be so. He knew that as soon he left the old church, lost sight of the glitter in the water and the sunshine beaming down through the hole in the roof, that sensation would be cut off. And when Vincent left, he'd be all alone again, and the feeling of dread and black void inside him would return. His worried eyes swept over their faces, gaze caressing their features, engraving them stronger and sharper into his mind. He never wanted to forget, never wanted his memories of them fade away, never wanted their voices to stop echoing in his ears…but they had been dead for a very long time. Hidden here in an abandoned church, the path to it blocked by the rubble of buildings which had been destroyed, never restored and left crumbling over the centuries, here where they may rest in eternal peace, kept safe by the power of the healing water. The ripples caused their figures to bend and twist, but they were still beautiful where they lay sunken deep into never-ending sleep.

He missed them. He missed Cloud's grumpy face and leadership, Tifa's cheerfulness and mother-like behaviour; Barret's gruff voice and constant swearing, Cid's smoking and warm heart, Yuffie's childishness and joyous smile, Reeve's wise wrinkled face and calm voice, and Aerith… Why did it have to be so that he had met these_ humans_, why couldn't they live on forever like Vincent? Then again; Vincent was not fully human either. Those demons inside of him would keep him alive for ever, alone with his pain. But he had known this for a long time. Of course, Nanaki had also known that the others would eventually die, but he could never accept it the way Vincent had. His friend had been able to bear the thought of it; he had been able to bear the death of first Reeve, and then the others one by one, even Yuffie. Nanaki knew Vincent had loved her, still loved her. He could see his friend's gaze stop at her more often than it did the others, the sadness in his eyes. But he was so strong. He could bear with it, Nanaki knew he could.

He had always admired Vincent, from when he was young and they first met. Vincent had been what he wanted to be; mature, trustworthy, cool-headed, never spoke unless he had something to say, he was intelligent, strong, graceful. He continued admiring Vincent even after he had become an adult himself. The man was his only friend left in this world, and Nanaki cherished that friendship above anything else. His love for his friend was the strongest emotion inside of his fiery coloured body. He could see the pain he suffered, the pain he had carried for so long but never let out. All Nanaki wanted was to help Vincent, put a smile onto his face, but he knew that he probably would not be able to. That was his pain, his suffering. The knowledge of his incapability to be of any use to his friend…

The lion-dog beast had trailed off into the distance of his own thoughts, not noticing Vincent looking at him.

"You look thoughtful, Nanaki."

Oh… I was just… I was only reminiscing. About the old times when we were all together and could laugh and smile…"

"We are all still together, Nanaki, in heart and mind. Even though we can no longer touch them or feel their warmth, hear them call our names…keep them alive in your memories, and they will never completely die."

Nanaki nodded, Vincent's words had put his heart slightly at ease. However, he still wished that they would have lived for ever. He would have loved to share the ages with them. He would have treasured those moments, held them in high esteem.

That was his final fantasy.

_**Hope you all enjoyed…leave a review? It'd make my day, I'm a little rusty after my long break from fan fiction! Have a nice day, all of you!**_

_**Love, Shade Lamora**_


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